The good folks at Kelley Blue book are finishing up another year where their site, www.kbb.com, saw over 140 million unique visitors for the third year in a row. During these “visits”, people looked at cars, cars and more cars. But what were they looking at? “The site traffic on Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com demonstrates what is on the minds of today’s new-car shoppers, especially when examining the most-researched new-vehicles of 2008,” said Jack R. Nerad, executive editorial director and executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book and kbb.com. “Continued interest in Honda and Toyota, Chevrolet’s home-run Malibu redesign and an increase in visits to more fuel-efficient, economical vehicles is an accurate reflection of the marketplace in 2008.”

So how does your “best” list stack up against the visitors to the Kelley site? Here, in alphabetical order, are the top 20 searches. Want to know the order of finish? See if you can guess and it’s listed at the end of the article.

Chevrolet

Malibu

Chevrolet division (and General Motors) had just one model in the KBB top 20 list this year and it was an important one. Voted the North American Car of the Year, the new Malibu is an important step for the General in the climb back to engineering, styling and quality prominence in the world market.

Ford

Escape
Mustang

Ford brand has two vehicles on the list with both the Escape SUV and the Mustang. The Escape represents Ford’s most fuel-efficient sport utility with the new Escape Hybrid delivering 20 mpg on the city cycle and 28 mpg on the highway. Meanwhile the Mustang, Ford’s iconic pony car, is set to celebrate its 45th anniversary in April of 2009.

Honda

Accord
Civic
CR-V
Fit
Odyssey
Pilot

Honda lands in second place in the nameplate segment with six vehicles on KBB’s 2008 list – reflecting the brand’s high marks in quality, fuel efficiency and resale value.

Mazda

Mazda3

Mazda’s smaller “zoom-zoom” sedan makes it on the list and is also a perennial favorite with the enthusiast press. Not only does the 3 run circles around most of its peers, it also offers outstanding gas mileage.

MINI

MINI Cooper

The MINI Cooper may finally put the rest the notion that you can’t sell a premium small car in the United States. Equipped with the base 1.6 liter 4-cylinder engine, the MINI achieves 28 mpg city/37 mpg highway with a 6-speed manual transmission.

Nissan

Altima

Nissan’s mid-size entry offers a choice of two body styles – coupe and sedan – as well as the choice of a 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine, a 3.5 liter V-6 as well as a hybrid powertrain option available only on the sedan.

Toyota

Camry
Corolla
Highlander
Prius
RAV4
Sienna
Yaris

Toyota garners first place in the manufacturer’s category with 7 entries. You can say what you will about bland interiors and middle-of-the-road handling, but the Japanese firm’s reputation for quality and reliability keep it at the top.

Volkswagen

Jetta

The re-introduction of a diesel in the form of the clean-burning, fuel-efficient (30 city/41 highway mpg) Jetta TDI had a lot to do with raising the German brand’s awareness above and beyond “fahrvergnügen” as Green Car Journal’s 2009 Green Car of the Year.

The winning order:

1.    Honda Civic
2.    Honda Accord
3.    Toyota Camry
4.    Toyota Corolla
5.    Nissan Altima
6.    Honda CR-V
7.    Toyota Prius
8.    Toyota Highlander
9.    Toyota RAV4
10.    Mazda3
11.    Toyota Yaris
12.    Ford Escape
13.    Honda Odyssey
14.    Honda Pilot
15.    Honda Fit
16.    Ford Mustang
17.    Chevrolet Malibu
18.    Toyota Sienna
19.    MINI Cooper
20.    Volkswagen Jetta

Yes it’s a popularity contest

It’s getting on towards the end of another year, which means that those of us here at LotPro.com can report with a relative degree of accuracy those models with the largest number of searches for the year. We also know that wading through 50 different models might seem like a large pain. But look at it this way, with fifty different vehicles to pick from, there’s a good chance that at least one of them might also be on your “best” list, too.

So here, in alphabetical order, are the top 50 searches. Want to know the top 2? See if you can guess (they’re listed at the end of the article).

Chevrolet Aveo

Chevrolet

Aveo
Impala
Silverado 1500
Tahoe

Chevrolet division had 4 models in our top 50 list this year. The Aveo, from the General’s Daewoo partnership, is one of the highest-mileage vehicles in the U.S. The Impala also offers a lot of bank for the buck in addition to great fuel economy, while the Silverado and the Tahoe both made late recoveries from mid-year sales slides.

Chrysler 300

Chrysler

300-series

The lone Chrysler entry was the 300-series – one of the few domestic full-size vehicles with a sense of style.

Dodge Challenger

Dodge

Avenger
Challenger
Charger
Ram 1500
Ram 2500

Dodge hits the list with the Avenger, the new Challenger, the Charger and both the half ton and three quarter ton Ram.

Ford F-150

Ford

Escape
Explorer
F-150
F-250 Super Duty
Focus
Mustang
Ranger

Ford brand has seven vehicles on the list with both the Escape and Explorer SUV’s, the Focus and Mustang passenger vehicles as well as three trucks – the Ranger, the F-150 and the F-250 Super Duty.

Honda Fit

Honda

Accord Coupe
Accord Sedan
Civic Coupe
Civic Hybrid
Civic Sedan
CR-V
Fit
Odyssey
Pilot

Honda ties for first place in the nameplate segment with nine entries including the Accord (2 versions), Civic (3 versions), the Fit, the CR-V, the Odyssey and the Pilot.

Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai

Accent
Elantra

Hyundai places with both the Accent and the Elantra sedans. While neither vehicle breaks any new ground, both represent Hyundai’s mantra of affordable transportation with excellent fuel economy.

Jeep Wrangler

Jeep

Wrangler

Jeep hits the list with the Wrangler, the Dorian Gray of sport utility vehicles.

Kia Rio

Kia

Rio

Kia’s most affordable sedan, the Rio, is also its best-selling vehicle – a big reason why it’s on the list.

Mazda Mazda3

Mazda

Mazda3
Mazda6

Both of Mazda’s “zoom-zoom” sedans made the list for 2008.

Nissan Altima

Nissan

Altima
Maxima
Murano
Rogue
Versa

Nissan placed three sedans – the Altima, Maxima and Versa – in the top 50 as well as SUV’s the Rogue and its big brother the Murano.

Scion tC

Scion

tC

By any other name a Toyota, the tC was also one of our top 50 searches.

Toyota Corolla

Toyota

Camry
Camry Hybrid
Corolla
FJ Cruiser
Prius
RAV4
Sienna
Tacoma
Yaris

Toyota ties for first in the nameplate division with 9 entries and wins the manufacturer’s category (10 including Scion) with 5 passenger cars, 2 SUV’s, 1 truck and 1 van.

And the winners are

Congratulations to the Ford F-150 which placed first overall and the Nissan Altima, which took second place.

2010 Fusion Sport

Early major update and hybrid version available this spring

In the game of one-upmanship and survival of the fittest, the two latest offerings from Ford Motor Company aim to up the ante in the hotly-contested mid-sized sedan segment.

Time waits for no man, and that’s particularly true in the car business. This time around, the guys in Dearborn took a page from the playbook of their Japanese rivals and decided on a major re-work of both the Fusion and its cousin the Mercury Milan just three years into the current model’s life. The best news is that even though both will be given the 2010 model year designation, car buyers won’t have to wait long – both should be in dealer showrooms this spring.

2010 Mercury Milan

New Clothes

While both vehicles received a makeover, the biggest design changes occurred with the Fusion. Gone are the funky square headlights, replaced by a European-influenced trapezoidal lower air intake that sits below the familiar 3-bar grill. This time, however, a portion of the upper bar extends over new horizontal headlamps. The more aggressive front end is complimented by new fenders as well as a new domed hood.

Inside, the new instrument panel features a softer “skin”, while a new center stack an steering wheel give the Fusion a more contemporary look. Seats have also been revised with more side support, smoother bolsters and textured inserts. Options include new ambient lighting as well as Ford’s SYNC™ system, an option that surely sold many customers on the Focus.

2010 Fusion Interior

More Power

Under the hood, the Fusion’s 2.3 liter four has been replaced by a new 2.5 liter version. Horsepower is up by 15 to 175, while torque is up by over 10% (from 156 lb-ft to 172 lb-ft). Highway mileage, according to Ford, is an impressive 33 mpg, besting the Camry by 2 mpg and the Accord by 3 mpg.

The V-6 has also been massaged and now delivers 240 hp and 228 lb-ft of torque, increases of 19 and 23, respectively, over the previous iteration. Both engines will be coupled to a new six-speed automatic transmission.

2010 Fusion Hybrid

You’ll get a charge out of this

Alongside the new twins, Ford also unveiled hybrid versions of both models. Using the same 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle 4-cylinder engine with intake variable cam timing as the Escape/Mariner hybrids, the green-friendly models produce 155 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. New battery technology enabled the engineers to reduce their size by 30 percent while providing almost 20 percent more power than the previous generation.

Ford claims a top speed of 47 mph on battery power alone while besting the Camry’s city mpg by 5 and allowing for a whopping 700 mile city driving range.

2010 Milan Hybrid

Falling gas prices have little effect

It’s interesting to note that even with falling gas prices; the sales declines for all manufacturers were led by consumers continuing to turn away from full-size pickup trucks and big sport utility vehicles. Everyone, it seems, accepts the fact that high (or at least higher) gas prices are here to stay. Although there was a slight uptick in the sales of these larger vehicles, some of that recovery can be attributed to the large incentives that most manufacturers are putting “on the hood” of trucks and SUVs.

Here, then, is a thumbnail of the top 5 in year over year sales for August:

Toyota: overall sales down 9.4 percent

The good news for Toyota: Sales of the Yaris and Camry were both up and the new Yaris 5-door hatchback should help sales of that model even more.

The bad news: Lexus sales were down, Scion sales were down and Toyota can’t build enough of the Prius Hybrid to meet demand. Making matters worse, Toyota drank from the big pickup Kool-Aid and now has a 1.2 billion dollar assembly plant in San Antonio that was built to assemble 200,000 plus Tundra pickups, while sales of the truck were down 8% in August and 14.5% for the year.

General Motors: overall sales down 20 percent

The good news for GM: Sales in August were up 31% over July, due in no small measure to the “Employee Pricing” incentive that is currently running. Retail car sales were up at Chevrolet, Pontiac and Cadillac – with the Cadillac CTS showing an 87% increase and the Pontiac Vibe a 95% increase in year over year August sales. The GMC Acadia/Saturn Outlook/Buick Enclave trio is also doing well.

The bad news: The Chevrolet Aveo and Cobalt, both small cars, posted sales declines of 21.3% and 26.6% respectively, year over year. Year over year sales of Cadillac trucks were down 49%, Saab sales were down 50%, while HUMMER sales, even with GM employee pricing, suffered a 62% drop.

Ford Motor Company: overall sales down almost 27 percent

The good news for Ford: August sales of the Focus were up 23% year over year, while sales of the Escape were up 17%.

The bad news: August year over year SUV sales at Ford were down 53%, F-Series pickup sales were down 42% while Volvo sales – the entire brand – plunged almost 49%.

American Honda: overall sales down 7.3 percent

The good news for Honda: August Civic sales were up 5.3%, Civic Hybrid sales were up 47.7%, while sales of the new Pilot were up 18.6% year over year.

The bad news: Following industry trends, total Honda light truck sales were down 10.3% year over year. Car sales were also down 4.9%, but this was primarily due to the fact that most Honda dealers ran out of the Fit small car before the end of the month due to model changeover.

Chrysler: overall sales down 34 percent

The good news for Chrysler: August sales of the Dodge Grand Caravan and the Chrysler Town and Country minivans were up 7% over last year. The new Dodge Journey and Challenger are doing well, while Dodge Charger sales were up slightly year over year.

The bad news: Everything else from Chrysler is pretty much in the dumper. Total August truck sales were down 33%, while even Chrysler’s small cars aren’t selling well: Chrysler Sebring sales were down 46%, Dodge Avenger sales were down 41%, sales of the aging PT Cruiser were down a whopping 65%, while sales of the Jeep Patriot, up a total of 89% for the entire year, were down 21% in August year over year sales.

The Bottom Line

While most automakers will want to put August out of their minds as soon as possible, sales prospects for September don’t look much better.

Hybrid vehicles becoming more commonplace on the road

Many of us at LotPro.com have been seeing more and more hybrid vehicles on the roads around Auburn Hills, Michigan. According to a recent report by R. L. Polk out of Southfield, it isn’t just our imagination at work.

Hybrid market expanding

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Nationwide registrations for new hybrid vehicles rose to 350,289 registrations in 2007 – a 38 percent increase from 2006, according to R. L. Polk & Co. The Toyota Prius continued to lead the segment with 179,178 total new registrations – 51.2 percent of hybrid market share.

“Auto buyers are benefiting from new hybrid launches, and fleecing of old models that didn’t work. There is a lot of excitement being generated within the industry as manufacturers adjust plans to adapt to consumer demand,” said Lonnie Miller, director of Industry Analysis at Polk. “While the Toyota Prius has a stronghold on the midsize car hybrid segment, the Toyota Highlander and Ford Escape share leadership positions in the SUV hybrid segment. As hybrid buyers migrate within a brand, manufacturers have to be prepared to meet their expectations for offerings if they want consumers to remain loyal.”

While most of the market continues to see hybrid models enabled by various forms of gas-electric powertrains, the entire hybrid segment will evolve as other technologies are developed and tested. With the end-goal of providing more fuel-efficient vehicles, future offerings will expand beyond the current generation of hybrid models.

“Hybrids are a great foray into the world of fuel-efficiency for many buyers,” said Miller. “Unfortunately, we still have an uphill battle for diesel and ethanol adoption given the need for more consumer education and improvements with filling station infrastructure. It will be interesting to see how more advanced technologies progress this whole category, but they can’t come soon enough.”

Midsize Segment most popular

Polk’s analysis shows that buyers of specific hybrid models predominantly come from the vehicle segment shared by their new hybrid purchase. In 2007, 55 percent of new hybrid buyers previously had a midsize car, midsize SUV or small car model. These vehicle segments represent the majority of the volume in the hybrid category and indicate consumers may be predisposed to a body style first before choosing a hybrid model.

“In cases such as the Lexus LS600h, more than half of these buyers came from the prestige luxury segment,” said Miller. “In the case of Honda Civic hybrid buyers, nearly 30 percent already had a small car in their driveway. There’s a strong relationship between the vehicle previously owned and the segment they may buy when selecting a hybrid.”

For manufacturers’ marketing departments, these findings mean they may be able to repurpose some of the brand research and customer studies for non-hybrid models when creating new hybrid offerings or hybrid marketing campaigns. In addition, more luxury hybrids are available than ever before, allowing customers to obtain a hybrid without sacrificing features, amenities and performance they might otherwise be used to.

California is still #1

Geographic trends for the segment remain largely unchanged in 2007, with California continuing to hold 26 percent of hybrid market share followed by Florida, New York, Texas and Washington (Table 1). For the second year in a row, Oklahoma had the greatest increase, up nearly 148 percent. Similarly, Los Angeles and San Francisco led cities nationwide combined with more than 19 percent of the segment’s market share (Table 2).

“The coasts continue to dominate the hybrid segment, though we continue to see gains in the Midwest as fuel prices hit home for the ‘manufacturing belt’ states,” said Miller.